Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult - Mardom

Key Facts

Country: 🇩🇪/🇵🇱

Genre: Black Metal

Release Date: 12th April 2019

Record Label(s): War Anthem Records

Highest Chart Position: N/A

Band Members:

Onielar (Yvonne Wilczynska) - vocals, rhythm guitar 

Velnias (Sven Galinsky) - lead guitar

Horrn (Michael Pelkowsky) - drums, percussions

Adversarius (Tobias Lachmann) - bass 

Review:

Rating (Out of 5🤘): 🤘🤘🤘

Favourite Track(s): Mardom - Echo Zmory, Exaudi Domine

A traditional black and demonic metal onslaught with shrieks of blasphemy and devilish torture. I love it when I get an album like this, straight to the point, raw and brutal with no fucking about in between. I first listened to Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult when I came across 2010's Saldorian Spell (which is also a killer album that you should listen to) and as much as their name suggests it definitely feels like I should be hailing Satan with a Trve Kvlt. I was quite surprised when I found out they had released another album, as I can't believe I allowed this band to get lost under the weight of my listening list. Despite that, it's another awesome release from the depths of Germany. 

Everything from songwriting to the production is categorically traditional black metal. It would not sound out of place on shuffle in a place next to Darkthrone and Mayhem for pure ferocity and might. I've always thought that Onielar has had a unique voice, as many female vocals I've heard in black metal often chose to optimise the higher vocal range and release banshee war cries over brutal guitars. Where as Onielar sticks to the mid-range and does it better than most men if I'm honest. One thing that black metal aims to do is to create atmosphere and I absolutely love the atmosphere more than anything on this album, the layers and textures give it a really spooky and chilling vibe, especially on Windma and Inception of Atemporal Transition. As much as they are interlude tracks they set the tone of the album and as I've mentioned create the dark atmosphere. 

Lyrically, for me they have a very strong Mayhem influence, in their content and delivery. I believe that Impershiable Soulless Gown demonstrates this more than the other songs on the album. At times the music definitely feels cryptic and mysterious which definitely peaks my interest, almost like there is a hidden ritual going on in the background (I mean there probably is to be honest). The production still retains that rawness if the early Norwegian black metal that it is evidently inspired by, yet is still pretty polished. It sounds huge, crushing, dark and brutal, which I am absolutely living for.

I think I didn't give the album a higher rating because there was now evolution to these atmospheres to a certain extent. For example, like an author establishes a setting, they state that I'm in a dungeon with a cult and I remain in the dungeon with the cult long after my sacrificed body has been possessed and destroyed, just a piece of rotting flesh in the corner. If that makes sense...but to be honest, now I think about it, who doesn't want to be in a dungeon with all your fellow cultists gaining new power and enlightenment? I guess in essence what I'm saying is that the album doesn't feel like its moving towards its climax. So as much as I admire the straight to the point, no fucking around-ness of this album, it just needed the tiniest extra bit to move it forward.

Overall, this is definitely one for the Mayhem and Darkthrone fans out there, if you're looking for some straightforward traditional black metal this is one album you need to be spinning. Germany and Poland have proven track records in this genre so when both countries combine in one band, you know it's going to be one hell of a ride to the depths of Hell and Satan himself would be fearful.